Does the "Annoying Little Itch" to Drink Eventually Go Away?
 

So I got my 30-day chip this morning, but I knew I could get this far as long as I kept attending meetings regularly and working with my sponsor.

Thing is, I still have annoying thoughts about drinking again. And yes, I can "play out the tape", but that doesn't stop those thoughts from cropping up 5-6 times a week.

Do these thoughts eventually fade with enough sober time under your belt?

:thanks

They did for me - but it took longer than 30 days.

I'm assuming you drank for years? It takes a little time to change the way we think and react to things, but you'll look back and marvel at how short a time it really was to change from addiction to recovery :)

D

They definitely become less frequent and less intense. 30 days is a great start too, congrats !

They left me around the 9th step.

Yes, definitely for me too. What I once obsessed about constantly - I rarely think of now. I can't say exactly when it happened, but it got gradually better. 30 days is something to be hugely proud of! :)

About 6 years, on and off. Last 2-3 years were the worst (progressed through all the usual stages - worknight drinking, multi-day binges, swigs straight from the bottle, morning drinks, drinking in the car on the way home from work, and finally physical withdrawals after 4-5 day binges). Knew I had a problem 2 years ago, but refused to admit to myself that I couldn't quit on my own willpower until last month.

for me the itch happens rarely It really eased up the itch per say within the first month. But problems and stress and anxiety are big triggers for me. since that didnt ease up for me for a good while I dealt with that for a good while. I new drinking was not an option tho and that it would make matters worse.

But currently I have some stressful stuff going on heck I always do but when it starts to consume me I start thinking about how a drink would really ease that and I know its not an option but the thought enters my mind.

For me I'm trying very hard to make my life very low stress. I'm trying not to take on more then i can handle. I keep things almost too simple just because much worse then that I'm climbing the walls with anxiety and bad stuff and next ya know I"m thinking about that drink which I know is not an option but its not a fun place to be drinking or not.

Yes, it fades. I don't do AA, but proponents of AA have said working the Steps diligently takes away the itch completely. How far along are you with the Steps?

Reviewing my 4th Step with my sponsor tomorrow.

Step 5 promises:

"Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we are delighted. We can look the world in the eye. We can be alone at perfect peace and ease. Our fears fall from us. We begin to feel the nearness of our Creator. We may have had certain spiritual beliefs, but now we begin to have a spiritual experience. The feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly. We feel we are on the Broad Highway, walking hand in hand with the Spirit of the Universe.

You are getting closer.

You're still early into the Steps, so hopefully the urges will disappear once you're further along. I sometimes urge surf (What is Urge Surfing? | Urge Surf) when the itch becomes very strong. I find that the urges do pass, sometimes in a few minutes; other times in a few hours, but they do always go away.

+1. It kept getting easier but 30 days in was still pretty brutal. You are in the thick of it but you are doing great holding up. Congrats on the 30 days!
Love me some Dr. Seuss Dee.

The itch went away for me at about four months this time after several attempts of sobriety. Now I get the occasional thought: "I could have a drink right now"--but I easily reject the thought. I have 7 1/2 months now.

It took me a few months, and even then it could strike unexpectedly. If you're aware it's like a toddler throwing a tantrum from time to time, you can be ready to treat it as the annoying but powerless force that it is.

It went away for me long ago. When I was drinking,it didn't take much of a reason for me to get really drunk. Now when I have a bad day,I wonder just how it was I thought tying one on was gonna help. Whatever problem it was,it was usually still there the next morning. And on top of that, there is a tremendous hangover,and a fog to boot. Not to mention something ridiculous I might have done while drunk to add to the problem.
Now,problems are just part of every day life. I can think through them with a clear mind. Yea,I still get flustered. But I don't put getting drunk on the list of options to make things better anymore.
But YES,the itch does most definitely go away.
Fred

At about six months sober I noticed I wasn't thinking about drinking. :)

About the same for me, 6 to 7 months and it became easier. I would add though to not get complacent when the major itches finally subside. That's when our resolve gets the weakest and we think just one won't hurt and we all know it will hurt a lot.

of the many sober people I know, none suffer with this problem today

yes in the beginning many of us have to fight the good fight in regards to thinking about a drink
but in time these thoughts seem to be something of the past

Mountainman

I think that's so true. It does fade over time, and then when it does pop up, you deal with it. Only you can give it power by taking another drink.

I have all kinds of thoughts I don't act upon. Beautiful women I'd like to kiss, bosses I'd like to punch, drivers I'd like to run off the road, etc. I put alcohol in that category - just another thought I'm not going to do anything about. :)

Congrats on 30 days. Keep up the good work! :c011: